gozal - DH and I are finally giving DS ('07) some siblings after 2.5 years of unexpected challenges, including a rare pituitary tumor and a suspected ectopic pregnancy. Two siblings, to be exact! Very excited to be expecting our twins in October.

kparker (27), with DH (34), expecting #1 in Nov 2012 after 3.5 years, 3 failed IUIs, and MFI being the root of all evil

Due in December

chicajones - 27, expecting #1 with DH (30) - after 1.5 years of trying with PCOS. Metformin did the trick and we're so excited to meet our Christmas baby!

Due in January

hope4light - Me (32), DH (33), DD (2) and pup (8) happy to give DD a sibling after almost 2 years of NPNT and finally getting the courage to jump back on the IVF train for MFI. After much failed IVF heartache when TTC#1, we were blessed with IVF working on the first try for our second! Very excited to be expecting in early January 2013!

I going to add to my last post. I just need to rant. I really hate maternity clothes. Small doesn't cover my belly. Medium is too big up top. And yes maternity clothes makers in addition to being uncomfortable from the pregnancy I would like my pants made out the the roughest scratchiest material ever made! And all this for the price of regular clothes. Ugh. ---I put off buying maternity clothes for all long as I possibly could, but I had to give in this weekend. Oh and I should mention that the stores in my local area don't even carry maternity clothes. So, I have to drive at least 45 minutes to a larger city to find any.

The hospital gowns at my hospital are a nice putrid green that made me look like a zombie when I had DS. It might be worth it to order something that will make me feel "cute" for the delivery (especially if I end up scheduling a RCS). What do y'all think?

I found out the sex today! But now friends/family are stalking my internet use so I can't go blabbing it everywhere if I intend to keep it a secret for long! Keep your eyes peeled. I might let it be known after the baby shower in September. ;)

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IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

now that's just cruel kparker! Surely we can develop some sort of MDC code?

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First day back after vacation and there's so much to catch up on (especially at work)! Will return later for longer, but..

renavoo - Ohhhhh! They. Are. So. Beautiful. So excited to see more photos and hear more about them! Hope your milk production speeds right up--hopefully pumping will help a bit. I have heard that if you run into any trouble, a lactation consultant is worth every penny (and still cheaper than ending up switching to formula).

Monkey - I know, it's pretty crazy isn't it? Part of the reason we dealt with IF for so long even though the answer was fairly simple is that the biggest/first symptom the books and everyone always lists for PCOS is weight gain issues/being overweight. So I always just skipped over it. Thank goodness for another MDC poster who mentioned she has "lean PCOS" which is what set me back to researching and to finding a good doctor.

gozal - love the storks and thanks for putting up the new thread!

Ok, that's all I can do for now (hello to everyone else!). Our vacation was great and we also got to hear the heartbeat again last week right before we left (yay) so it's been a great time lately. :) I will post more later!

Me (30) and DH (33). I have "Lean" PCOS with IR -- started Metformin 10/2011.
Finally got our BFP To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 4-16-12! Welcomed our son into the world naturally on 12-12-12. 6lbs 8 oz, 21.5in at 38+1 weeks.

If someone can develop a really clever code and pass it around via PMs so that it's never discovered by the outside world, I'm all for it. Then we can be a stealth team :D

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IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

haha that would be great to develop a code! We'll be waiting anxiously, Kparker, for the sex of your baby :o)

Chica, yah to a wonderful vacation and to hearing the beautiful heartbeat right before the vacation! Talk about starting it off right! Hope you're feeling well!

Wissa, ugh to your experience with maternity clothing. I hate shopping. i literally buy everything online. Once i found out what my size was, i just order from the same stores and buy the clothing online. I agree, though, that the clothing leaves much to be desired. in fact, I ended up not wearing a lot of the clothing that i bought because I didn't like the style at the end of the day! i definitely agree with buying some cute clothing for the hospital! it'll make you feel better which is very important.

Gozal - Thanks so much for the new thread!! I still can't believe my name is at the top of the roster. Hopefully you'll get to add several more names below it. :) Oh, and I totally thought I changed it, but the link to the IF ONE thread at the top is to the January thread - we should probably change it to a more current thread. I really thought I had done it, but it obviously was not successful!

renavoo - What cute little babies! And yeah, you can see that Colin is a bit smaller in the newer pictures. So fun to have them "holding hands"! I hope nursing is going a little better for you - sounds like you've gotten plenty of advice on it, so you have some things to try. And I'm disappointed to hear your swelling didn't go away immediately - I was kind of hoping for that!

wissa - My baby shower is on Saturday. So after that is when the real panicked purchasing can begin! But since a friend just brought me a package of cloth diapers today, I can now feel just a little closer to ready. I'll need some more, but now I can at least say the baby has clothes, blankets, and diapers. If we had a bed and a car seat, I would say we were at the bare minimum now! Expecting my parents will probably buy those things for me in the next couple of weeks, though. Hooray for reaching 24 weeks! I know that was a huge milestone for me. Before you know it, you'll be in your third trimester! If you've actually found maternity clothes that cost the same as regular clothes, kudos to you - most of the ones I find are like twice the cost of regular clothes! And all of them seem to show cleavage on me, intentional or otherwise. :P I also can't figure out the proliferation of skinny-leg jeans/capris for pregnant women - am I the only one to gain weight in my legs?!? Of course, both of these things are problems I have with regular clothes anyway - big boobs and fat thighs. But it seems like maternity clothes should be more forgiving! Thankfully, I do not have the scratchy-pants problem. I bought these capris and LOVE them - it looks like they are out of black, which I got, but they are on sale for $12, which is half what I paid for them! If they had any other colors besides white, I would totally buy them. But white clothes make me nervous - I spill way too much! I also got some denim shorts - these, I think - which I totally love, as both pairs of capris I can currently wear are pretty long. (The other pair I have are these, from Kohl's - except mine are a green/brown color that doesn't seem to exist on the website.) Most of the maternity tops I have that I like, especially the t-shirts, are from SIL. I have not had a ton of luck with finding tops I like. I keep thinking about buying some more tops or dresses or things, but then I think - two more months. That's all. I can hang in there for two more months with what I have!

Hope - Exciting that you're almost to the second trimester!!

kparker - Now we will all be curious! You should just send us all a mass PM so we can know - except then we'll all have to remember not to mention it on the thread. Guessing all was well with the ultrasound in general? Can you believe you're almost halfway there??

chica - Yeah, I kind of dismissed PCOS for myself as well, and my doctors definitely did. I don't think I actually found out about "lean" PCOS until after my diagnosis, though maybe I did learn about it a little before. I really have no outward classic PCOS signs, either, except that I probably have more of a mustache than is natural for a woman. But even then, it's not too heavy and it's very blond, so easy to pass over. I had terrible acne as a tween/teen, but then it spontaneously cleared up entirely around the end of high school. So all I really had to go on was irregular periods and, after charting, anovulation (hence the irregular periods). It is maddening how little information there is out there about non-classical PCOS, even in the medical community. But I'm glad we were both able to finally get the information we needed! Hooray for hearing the heartbeat again! That's always so reassuring to me, even now. Though he definitely wiggles up a storm enough to keep me pretty reassured, too.

Milk - Can't remember if I already said it, but so, so, so excited for you to find a doctor who believes he can help you, and actually has an extensive plan for doing so! Really hoping for good things for you in the upcoming months! Also, I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing - what is the medicine he's prescribing for bleeding/SCH?

AFM, still just sitting here being pregnant. Baby shower in just a few days, which I'm excited for - maybe as much for being able to plan what I need as for the actual party! But I think the party will be fun, too. dh is out of town for one more night, but thankfully he'll be home tomorrow. I wish this were the last time he was traveling before the baby, but it's not. Hopefully the second to last time, though. One of my former coworkers came over today and brought me lunch and a baby present (she'll be missing the shower), and we just sat and chatted for hours. It was nice to have a visitor. It was also nice that she was pretty cool with my AP/NFL ideals. She also talked to me about how she had been unsuccessful in fully BFing her first kid, and how it's important to not get really disappointed if stuff like that happens - which I know, but it's nice to know that I have someone to talk to who's BTDT. (She easily breastfed her second baby, too, so she's all about how great BFing, just not about getting depressed over it.) She's a little skeptical about EC, but talked about her CDing friend who loved it - and she bought me some diapers and a cover off of my registry, so now I feel like I at least have SOMETHING to put on this little guy when he comes!

Oh, and I also got SIL's present (dh's sister) today - and it is hilarious and awesome: A Young Mad Scientist's First Alphabet Blocks. They are both super-natural and simple and yet nerdy and hilarious all at once. I was very impressed.

Hope everyone is doing well!

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Renavoo!!! I do not think there is a word in the English language equal to the task of describing how absolutely gorgeous, amazing, and perfect Colin and Sienna are! I would squoosh them to bits loving on them, as I'm sure you and DH are doing! I mean, the photo where they are holding hands? I melted. Um, of course you bought the overpriced hospital portraits. What in the world choice did you have? (Now I am hoping my hospital does the same overpriced photos. ;) My recovery from DS's birth was quite difficult even with a vaginal delivery, so I can only imagine that it is even more uncomfortable for you, and I am sending over tons of feel-better thoughts to you. You did an awesome job, mama! And you are now, too, with the BF. How is the milk coming now? My milk came in on day 5, and I actually did cry tears of joy when I saw the while milk, finally. My baby was so hungry by then. I did know it was normal, but it was still hard waiting! How long is DH home with you? (Long, I hope!) Those first days are so intense, so unparalleled in joy and change and adversity and transformation. I smile thinking of you going through them and hope you are enjoying them even with all the overwhelm that comes with the territory!

kparker, okay, you are not helping my curiosity any. ;) You sound really excited to know which is all that matters! I was trying to think of how we could subvert our unfortunate knowledge of IF acronyms to reveal the secret among ourselves. Like, did you get Femera or Metformin? (Too obvious?)

Wissa, I am going to join in on your maternity clothes rant! So far I have been okay with buying my regular size M but I have a feeling my belly is going to outgrow some shirts, um, not too long from now. I will also add that I cannot believe how hard it is to find non-skimpy maternity clothes. I mean, really? What's with the plunging necklines, sleevelessness of everything, and tiny shorts/dresses (none of which I wear)? Believe me, Monkey, you are not the only one whose legs have expanded (most unfortunate preggo trait I seem to have - including the elephant knees - but hey, I even kinda like those, if it means I'm pregnant). I have been living in a few maternity dresses that I love.

I can still remember how nice it felt to switch back to my own clothes after the hospital gowns, so Wissa, I say if getting a pretty gown will make you a happier person absolutely go for it! It will be in some of the most memorable photos you'll ever take, after all, right?

Milk, just had to say I read about your new dr. on the other thread and I am so excited and hopeful for you.

Monkey, oooh what dipes did you get? I hope you get tons more fabulous stuff at the shower. And I hope you'll share with us what your favorites are! My mom would be mad at me if she knew I was so much as thinking about baby stuff (she's a little extreme!), but actually I am putting together a list of things we need/want (that I won't make public until, G-d willing, the babies are born).

Chica, yay for a great vacation! I can't take credit for the cute little storks, that was all Monkey's doing!

I feel like I am missing tons more that you have all written about, but things have been a little crazy around here. I'll save the inlaws drama for another post (which, for the record, I feel very strongly about trying to avoid - I try to do everything I can to create a loving and respectful relationship with my ILs, so it's very upsetting to me). Instead let's talk about cute babies, shall we? I got to see my babes on u/s again today and they were all snuggled up sweetly. Well, except when they are kicking each other. I have been declared very boring and I am hoping to keep it that way. My cervix is still wonderfully long, all other vitals great. The babies are growing at the same rate and are nice and big. Best of all, I am feeling tons of kicks now. DH got to feel a good one the other day and the way his face lit up was just so wonderful. Oh, and I saw my favorite dr. at the practice, and she promised me they do not have an eviction deadline for twins. They will decide on an individual basis if I get to 39w. She also told me there *are* several doctors in the practice who will do a breech baby b delivery if I request it. Big relief. They won't do breech Baby A/vertex Baby B because of the high potential for the babies' heads to lock. I forgot to ask about both breech, but she promised we would discuss it more. I kind of have a feeling that I will go late, although on the other hand I was surprised by how big the babies are already, so maybe I will end up going into labor naturally by 39...

Gozal - Yeah, UGH to the skimpy maternity clothes. I understand that some people are excited about it because it's the type of clothes they normally wear and think pregnant women should celebrate their bodies, not hide them, but I'm with you - I don't wear that stuff when NOT pregnant, either, so I'm not going to start now! (And yeah, finding clothes I consider sufficiently modest when not pregnant is also an issue, especially in the summer!) Also, who decided that all maternity dresses needed to either hit above the knee or be alllll the way to the floor?!? I would almost kill for a mid-calf skirt/dress at this point. The long ones are so HOT, even my flowy cotton long skirt. Anyway, sorry you are having IL drama. Don't take this the wrong way, but it's just another chance for me to count my blessings that my in-laws are awesome and very, very drama-free. My mom actually wants me to think about baby stuff b/c she and my dad "invest" a certain amount in long-lasting baby stuff for the first baby each of their kids has (carseats, cribs, etc.). As far as diapers, I got some OsoCozy prefolds and a Thirsties cover. So not nearly as many as I'll ultimately need (even with the plan to EC), but something! Since the plan is to ultimately be out of diapers except for long outings, etc., I went with cheap stuff. Plus a lot of EC people recommend prefolds because you can use them in EC-friendly ways, like letting the baby just lay on them, or just having a little elastic belt holding them on for easy removal. Skipping to something else in totally random order, I'm glad you're feeling your little guys wiggle now! And yay for boring - that is exactly how we want our pregnancies to be! Also good to hear that you're not under mandatory delivery deadlines or threat of c-section. Sounds like you've found a good practice to be with!

AFM, I was going to say earlier - I'm excited to be at a point where I'm not worried about the baby coming any more. I mean, early. I don't think he will, and it certainly wouldn't be ideal for him to come now, but I'm past the point of terror over it. He's a good-sized kid, I'm pretty sure, and should be just fine in the end whenever he comes now - though I definitely want him to keep baking and avoid a NICU stay. I guess he just doesn't feel so fragile to me now, which is good. Less than 9 weeks until baby!!

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Milk - Can't remember if I already said it, but so, so, so excited for you to find a doctor who believes he can help you, and actually has an extensive plan for doing so! Really hoping for good things for you in the upcoming months! Also, I'm curious, if you don't mind sharing - what is the medicine he's prescribing for bleeding/SCH?

It's actually really interesting about the SCH and bleeding. The medicine is Cyklokapron, which is an antifibrinolytic. It's totally off label use, obviously, but I am at a stage where I will try anything and everything... and it looks like I will be! From what I understand, it basically seals blood vessels. It's used in cases of trauma and haemorrhage, and even really heavy periods.

What I find even more interesting, is that it can be used in combination with heparin. So I will be using heparin to prevent clotting, but also cyklokapron to effectively produce clotting. My understanding is though, that they work on different parts of the blood.

I've always thought that it was more than coincidence that I have had SCH everytime, so I'm really pleased that he has a take on this. HOWEVER, I am seriously going to be in need of one of those old people style pill planners. I'm going to be taking that much medication it's crazy.

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Hahaha yeah gozal that's too obvious unfortunately ;P I wouldn't mind a mass PM but yeah it might be hard to watch what you say! I slipped up and told my dad on the phone before I was ready (wanted to show pictures, etc) but he pretended not to notice, and slipped himself that he knew before I told him :P It was hard to tell my parents because my 15 yr old nephew is staying with them this summer, and I can't let him know because he might let his mother or sisters know and once the sisters know it's ALL over Facebook. So I had to isolate them and it was interesting, to say the least.

I got a call from the midwives today letting me know that the anatomy scan looked GREAT. So, got a healthy baby cookin'! I can't wait to tell everyone what it is, and for it to be born so I can see it again! It's a total thumbsucker, I want to see that outside! I bet it's adorable.

Maternity clothes: I have a single pair of jeans I got that fit so-so, everything else is shirred tshirts or tops that tie under the boobs and flow down. I got two of my favourite shirts from a second hand store for 3-4 bucks a pop, and the others are discount cheapy section of Kohl's and Old Navy. Wal-Mart also had a sale a few weeks ago where they had $10 or less maternity shirts with only a dollar for shipping, so I got two nice little shirts (not cheaply made, either) for a total of $18. Love them!

Next week I get to fit into my old tankini for my husband's birthday at the river. Mmmm tubing!

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IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

Kparker, yah to a great anatomy scan! Good luck with the tankini! i don't want to think about ever fitting into a bathing suit anytime in the near future!

Milk, i'm so excited you finally have a doctor who seems to listen and seems to be ready to help you! i can't wait to follow your cycle through to your beautiful baby! )by the way, I have a pill case that i NEED in order to remember to take my pills. haha

Monkey, what a great spot to be in! I loved that point of the pregnancy when i stopped worrying (or worried less, i should say) about the babies coming earlier. Ah, it was such a relief. But i bet that your baby is going to hold off until the end anyway :o) How was your shower? Did you need to buy much more stuff? I bet you got everything you needed! or just about, anyway!

Gozal, i love how your doctors are so accommodating and willing to work with you. i hope in law drama died down though. You don't need the stress!!

So, AFM, i think i mentioned this in the other thread but I got a really bad rash last friday. I ended up going to the emergency room on Saturday (twice) to get it checked out and to get some relief. As of today, i still have the rash and its worse than ever. (I'm now just going to post what I posted on the other thread so excuse the repetition if you check out the other thread too) I went to a derm and an allergist to get it checked out. The derm thinks it is plausibly a fenugreek allergy, especially as there is cross allergies between fenugreek and peanuts (both are legumes). I've never had a peanut allergy though and so, it didn't seem likely although his theory is that my mom force-feeding me peanuts helped increase my sensitivity. He sent me to an allergist. The allergist, who I saw today, does not think it is the fenugreek at all, although i'm done using the fenugreek. She attributes it to hormones that are out of whack and need to normalize. That is probably the prevailing theory. All docs say I can continue breastfeeding even though i'm on prednisone and an antihistamine. I want to continue pumping until i can get this fixed up but otherwise, the babies are growing so well on formula, I'm ok with that being the mainstay. Little Sienna is now 7lbs 9oz (up from 6lbs 13 oz) and little Colin is now 7lbs, up from 6lbs 3oz. I don't want to jeopardize their growth. Generally, they are such good little babies and life is great. If only I can get rid of this pesky rash but now that my mind is a little more at ease with this rash not causing problems with the babies, I'm dealing with it well. Still have my own obgyn appointment on Thursday and then a follow up allergist appointment on Friday. Thank goodness for the nanny!

A couple of photos of the little ones. They are starting to smile...or is that gas? haha

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IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

Renavoo - Those babies are just precious! Sorry that rash has caused you even more trouble. Yuck. I pumped for a while even after DS refused to nurse, so it can be done! Glad to hear they are growing and they obviously look healthy! Hope all your doctors appointments go well.

Monkey - Do let us know how the baby shower went!!

RE Maternity clothes- I had of friend of mine give some of old maternity,which was really sweet. I also found a casual dress at a consignment store the other day!! (They haven't had much lately). Monkey and Gozal I'm with you on the skimpy maternity clothes. My thighs have gotten huge and the last thing I want to do is show them off!! Plus, all the low cut tops. Maybe I should show off my new cleavage??? Normally, I would just wear a cami under my top and move on, but it's so HOT outside an extra layer of clothes just seems like torture. If you count the full panel bottoms, cami, and shirt that's three layers of clothes over the belly in 100 degree heat!!!

And I think Monkey hit on why the clothes thing bothers me...It should be exciting to buy clothes that are going to show off the pregnant belly.

Chica & Gem -- Hope everything is going well.

Me - 25 weeks. I need to take the wonderful 2 hour GTT before my next OB appointment. Happy happy Joy joy. Oh, and I've gain 20lbs already, but my ob is like well you started out thin I'm not going to say anything. (I kinda of wish she would)

Super-quick flyby before bedtime to say hi to everyone, and to hope everyone (especially renavoo) is doing well. Yuck about the rash, glad something's working for it now, though!

As far as my baby shower, it was good. It was POURING when it started, but luckily cleared up while the party was ongoing. I did get some helpful things, but there are still a lot of things I need to buy. Well, I need to see what my mom is getting me first. But anyway, do have a car seat and a co-sleeper, though neither is exactly what I want, so I'm deciding about returning them now. Part of that will depend on if I can even get what I want - absolutely everywhere is out of stock of the cosleeper I want, so that may be a no-go. But hey, we have something! And baby's got clothes. It will all work out. Project for next week: inventory baby stuff and figure out what we still need!

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Just a quick update - not anemic any more! I don't know how they drew my blood at 5 PM last night and had my results at 2:30 on a Saturday, but I'm not complaining! I will probably need to keep supplementing to keep it up, but glad to know it's at least back in the normal range.

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IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

monkey, so glad you aren't anemic! That's awesome. :) kparker, here's hoping that you levels will get right soon!

Belly photo time! A bit of a fuzzy picture, but I'm trying to take photos at work every week from the camera in my laptop. 16 weeks!

Me (30) and DH (33). I have "Lean" PCOS with IR -- started Metformin 10/2011.
Finally got our BFP To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 4-16-12! Welcomed our son into the world naturally on 12-12-12. 6lbs 8 oz, 21.5in at 38+1 weeks.

Wissa, how did the GTT test go? Ugh to a two hour one. I can't imagine. I only did the 1 hour one and that was hard enough. haha i remember just thinking...hmmm i'm hungry now, even after that awful orange drink!

Chica, you're so adorable! look at that little bump! How are you feeling?

Monkey, yah to not being anemic anymore! That must be a relief!

K, I hope you get better soon :o( keep us updated! it will all be worth it in the end!

Gozal, how are you doing? I hope the in law drama blew over!

Milk, checking in...what's going on in your world? Have you seen your RE recently? What are the plans?

Rena - So glad your rash was eventually taken care of!!! The LC you had come by your place sounds interesting. I have to say I like her Motto from the article. Rule 1. Enjoy the baby 2. Feed the baby. It took me a while, but I finally figured that out (even if feeding my baby meant formula for me). I hope things works out for you. After about 6 weeks my DS refused to nurse and would cry until he got a bottle, but I can't blame him. It was a quick fast meal and I'm not sure he ever got much from me.

Chica - Oh so cute! Your bump is growing!!!

Kparker - :( - Sorry for the yuck!

Monkey -Glad the baby shower went well. Hope you have fun doing "inventory." I know at first it seems like baby stuff is taking over and it's hard to imagine you don't have EVERYTHING, but you'll probably end up going to the store shortly after you have the baby anyway. (It seems babies don't always need/want what you thought they would.)

Here's my baby stuff tip for the day --- Make sure you have big receiving blankets. Some of the cute flannel blankets that say they are receiving blankets aren't actually big enough to swaddle anything. ;)

It's good your iron has gone back up. I'll bet you feel better.

Hope - How did the doctor's visit go? The first few visits are So exciting and reassuring.

Me - I haven't actually done the GTT yet. I just have to do it before my 28 week appointment. I've put it off until next week...plus I'll have to get a sitter for that.

After my shower yesterday I notice some (just tiny drops) colostrum leaking out...that's big news me for. I never leaked with DS, so it's good to see my bbs are least trying to work.

Wissa - I agree with you on the blanket thing! And Yeah for the colostrum!!

Tuesday I was on my way to my appt when they called to say the doc got called into a delivery. So I ended up seeing her yesterday instead. Phew, the heartbeat was nice and strong, although she forgot to tell me what it was and I didn't think to ask until after I left, of course. She prescribed me something for my headaches, as they have actually been getting worse instead of better like they should. In fact, I've had a headache just about non stop for over a week now (just when I started to realize that it wasn't going away, you know?) Saturday night it got so bad overnight (I'm prone to migraines even when I'm not pregnant) that I was hallucinating in the middle of the night. It was HORRIBLE. Then DH had to work on Sunday and I was like a bump on a log all day while my daughter ran the roost.

The strangest thing is that she was concerned with my weight gain, as in not gaining enough. I've gained 5 pounds so far. She said for my starting weight (yes, I'm petite but by no means considered 'underweight' I'm actually right in the middle of the 'normal' BMI - not that I put much stock in BMI considering that it says my husband is obese, but I digress), so anyways, she said I should gain 30 - 40 pounds, so the fact that I've only gained 5 concerns her a little. WHAT??!! I gained 28 with my first pregnancy, and both my OB and I thought I was right where I needed to be, in that 25 - 35 pound range. 8 of it was in my first trimester. AND I had a 7 lb 2 oz baby. I'M ONLY 5 FT TALL!!! It's totally freaking me out. I mean, I'm eating! I'm not counting calories or watching what I eat (other than to TRY to eat healthy). I eat whenever I'm hungry! And I'm not exactly eating low calorie stuff, I eat at least 1/2 a bagel with cream cheese mid morning every day, after my nice fat bowl of cereal in the morning. I chow at lunch, have at least 1 snack in the afternoon, dinner, and then most nights a snack before bed. How much more can I possibly eat? LOL. Oh well, I'm not gonna worry about it, I just thought it was really strange.

Me: 35, DH: 36, DD born 7/25/10 After 4 years of trying and failed IVF treatments (missing my angels). IVF/ICSI worked this time! DS born 1/8/13!

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Hope - I agree your doctor does sound weird on the weight thing. How far along are you? I didn't gain any weight in the 1st trimester, but I put on 20 in the 2nd so.... Anyway my starting BMI was 20 and my weight was about 7 pounds less than what the charts recommended for my "ideal" weight. From what I've read women tend to gain weight in pregnancy at different times and rates. I have also read that most women put on the lbs. in the 2nd trimester. Then in the 3rd trimester all the lbs. gained go to feeding mom and what the mom eats goes directly to the baby. (According to my baby book anyway.)

Sorry to hear you've had a continuous headache. Yuck! All those hormones...I'm guessing will trigger migraines, if you are prone to them. I hope the medicine makes you feel better.

Renavoo, totally not gas, those are SMILES, mama! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I cannot get enough pics. Eek on having to deal with such a troublesome rash and the ER and the allergist on top of new-mom adjustment. I am absolutely sure you are doing it with panache!

Monkey, I'm so glad the shower went well! I want to hear all about your loot! And great news about the iron. I wonder if I've been tested lately? I'll ask next time.

chica - what a sweet little bump! Hey, how is the move going? Or if that is stressful to think about, don't answer and write instead about what I hope is the awesomeness of the second tri for you.

wissa, okay, you totally nailed the clothes thing. Yes! And yay for colustrum. I think that is a great sign. Can I hit you up for some swaddling advice? I totally flopped at swaddling last time. Maybe because I only had those regular receiving blankets? (And why are they called receiving blankets...what am I receiving...or what is the baby receiving...I don't get it but it sounds vaguely creepy. This is what DH calls "you're overthinking it again.")

hope, first of all, such wonderful news from your appt.! I am so sorry about the migraines. I do sometimes get very mild ones but I have several close family/friends who really suffer and mine are bad enough, I can only imagine that theirs are unbearable. I did get quite a few in the first tri., I think because it was hard for me to get adequate rest and to keep my blood sugar up. So I am hoping for you that they will lessen in frequency as you get into the second tri. I second what Wissa said about weight gain - I think it is so individual and it is nuts that everyone is held to the same standard. With DS I gained most of my weight in the second tri, little in the first and third. And it was a LOT in the second. But it all worked out. Luckily, my doctors are not particular about it. Easier said than done, but try not to worry - it sounds like you are doing a great job eating!

AFM, well, the inlaw drama is taking up way too much space in my life and I am unhappy about it. I am trying to find a way to talk about it that is respectful to all because that it important to me. I really wanted a quiet summer to enjoy my pregnancy, the lazy summer days with DS, to finish getting our house in order and to work on some hobbies and projects of my own that I enjoy and won't have time to devote to for a long while (which is fine, but I want to do them now). I also need to put the finishing touches on my dissertation. Well, instead I had to do a whole lot of "soon you won't be able to come visit so why don't you come now" even when it meant long drives, sleeping in small uncomfortable beds, and lots of walking around in the heat. I don't even mind walking and heat all that much but hey, I do have physical limitations. I can't carry enough water for more than a 1/2 hour max without refilling my large bottle! Not to speak of finding a bathroom and needing to eat often. (I can't fit enough in to get full at this point.) And let's just say certain people where whiny and mean about those limitations. In addition to that, well, my MIL has decided to come for the first 3 months after the twins are born. I am truly excited, especially for my DH, that she will be able to fully participate in our lives at this important moment. However, it is really surprising b/c in the past she has been really hands off and has not really wanted to do that. I know she is going through a difficult point in her own life and I am glad we can help make it a little happier, but it is also a lot of pressure on me to be needed and I feel like her plans (she is a *huge* planner) are overtaking this pg that I waited so, so long for. I love my MIL but we are very different personalities and the truth is, she is not helpful to me in terms of housework and childcare. I know she has good intentions, but she only does the easy stuff...and being an introvert, I'd rather just have my space if that is the case. She is going to find someplace to stay (our place is a 2bedroom) but since she has no other ties around here, I think she is expecting to help daily. So yeah. Thanks for letting me vent, guys.

Otherwise, I am super grateful to be able to say my doctors think I am really boring! My last cervical length was 3.9cm which is awesome. The babies are around 65% on the GA growth chart! Their HBs are virtually the same as well and it does make me wonder a bit if they could be identical. They are thumping away in there and yet I still have many moments when I cannot believe that I am really pregnant (seriously - I know!) let alone with twins. IF can do weird things to you, huh? I ended up accepting the GTT test scheduled in 2 weeks, only because of the way they conduct it now. I am allowed to eat a light nonsweet meal beforehand (they said an egg would be fine - I'm hoping the protein will help me out), they do it all in-house, and they told me to bring juice and cookies to eat immediately after the blood draw. Fingers crossed I don't get horribly sick.

Hi ladies, just checking in to see how everyone is doing. Gozal, UGH to in law drama!! I hope that everything is resolved and they don't constantly ask you to come over. I find that it's so much better to get DH to tell them to back off. As for having your mIL come to help, i can see how it would be both a good and a bad thing. Just remember that they are YOUR babies and if she oversteps your bounds, you have every right to ask her to back off. (Or ask DH to ask her to back off) :o)

It has been a while so I know you're going to have your GTT soon. Hope it goes well!

Everyone else, HI! I would love to hear updates!! How is everyone doing?

Okay, so I am so very behind on responding - I am sorry! I do read every post, but often on my phone. And sometimes, I just feel too tired to respond.

ANYWAY...

renavoo - Hope things are going better for you with all the rash and nursing issues and such! That is a crazy lot of stuff to deal with. Crazy that your LOs are more than a month old now! I would love to read more about how you're doing, but I bet they keep you pretty busy!

kparker - Glad things are all looking good for you! A little jealous that you got to go tubing. How was that? We went two summers ago, and it was a blast. Did you go on the Guadalupe? And I'm still taking iron supplements, too, since I don't want to get anemic again. I take Floravital (same company that makes Floradix) - it usually doesn't taste too bad to me. I did get the suggestion to freeze it in ice cube trays and pop it in some juice, which I have recently been doing. I also mixed the pregnancy tea extract my midwife recommended in with the cubes, and I'm doing much better at taking it since it's all premeasured, as it was a pain to measure it out!

wissa - I also got half my maternity tops from my SIL, which I am grateful for. She seems to have found better-quality stuff than a lot of what I've got. And if I can put in one more rant about maternity clothes... why do skirts/dresses either have to be mid-thigh or ankle length?!? I swear, there is no in between. It is HOT for ankle-length skirts, regardless of the material. I would just about kill for a mid-calf length skirt at this point. That's what nearly all my skirts were before getting pregnant. Sigh. Only a few more weeks, and it won't matter any more! Have you gotten your GTT done yet? I hope it goes well. I don't think 20 lbs of weight at 25 weeks sounds bad to me, but I know it's easier to say that to someone else! And by the way... YAY for being past the point of viability! You're on to your third trimester now, aren't you? And yay for colostrum leaks - I hope it is a portent of good things to come. dh has been asking me for months now when I'm going to start "producin'", after I told him some women do make a little milk before the baby comes. I think his general zeal for (my) boobs has come to include intense curiosity about their milk-making capacity. I, on the other hand, get tired of feeling like a watched cow. I've also explained to him that it's totally normal to NOT produce anything before birth, but that message hasn't sunk in yet!

chica - Cute bump! (And cute shirt!) I forgot - are you guys going to try to find out the sex of the baby? If so, that's coming up soon, I would guess! Check in when you have a chance! (as if I have any room to talk!)

milk - Don't know if you're still stalking over here, but interesting about all the drugs. And YAY about the engagement ring shopping - so excited for you!!

hope - Yay for a good heartbeat, and for getting something for your headaches. I hope it's helping. And ??? about your doctor thinking you haven't gained enough weight... and thinking you should gain 30-40 lbs! I think your weight gain sounds totally fine - it's considered perfectly normal to gain NOTHING in the first trimester! It's not even that weird to LOSE weight in the first trimester (as I did early on, though I think I had gained it back by the end). Geeze. I would not let your doctor worry you about it.

gozal - Sorry for the continuing in-law drama. I think you have every right to want a nice, relaxing summer at home before taking on newborn twins and a 4- or 5-year-old. I hope your dh is on your side with this one, because it really is his responsibility to tell his family to back off, if need be. Glad that you continue to be a very boring obstetric patient! I hope your GTT goes well and you don't get sick. I don't know what I would have done with mine if my mom hadn't been there to drive me to get food immediately afterward. At least you can eat an egg! Actually, my mw's office person told me I could ask about eating an egg if I didn't think I could make it fasting, but I ended up just fasting. I would definitely go after that egg if I were you! (Just remember no toast!)

AFM... 37 weeks today!!! I am at term, and cleared for a birth center birth!! Nothing is ever a guarantee, but this is a big milestone for me. I never thought he would come early, but now I don't have to try to plan for what if. At my appointment on Friday, the mw (the most experienced one) said she thinks he's in the 6 lb range, which is a huge relief after the 32-week 5 1/2 lb estimate by the student midwife! I know it's still a guesstimate, but it reassures me that he's not destined to be 12 lbs. Anything that remains in the single digits I think I can handle. Double digits scare me. But we will find out soon! I'm 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced, and my cervix is very soft. Baby hasn't dropped yet, and I'm starting to wish he would. My uterus is literally up to my sternum, and my boobs and tummy are fighting it out for space. My mw says that she thinks his due date is going to end up being pretty accurate, which I take to mean about a week either way. I'm hopeful now that I'll make it to my brother's wedding on August 3rd after all. Birth classes are going reasonably well, though we haven't spent much time practicing outside of class due to dh's crazy work schedule. We actually only have two more before it will be our due date - there's a chance of making it to one more if he goes past his due date by several days. We'll see!

As far as baby shower loot, we have our car seat (Maxi-Cosi Pria, which will hopefully last us several years!), our cosleeper (they discontinued the style I wanted, much to my great sadness - it would have matched our bedroom stuff perfectly, but oh, well), far fewer clothes than I would have guessed, a custom scrapbook my friend put together, and other assorted toys and things that are currently escaping my mind. We have gotten NO normal, every day blankets/receiving blankets! We're supposed to have four flannel receiving blankets to take to the birth center, and we currently have none. We have several very lovely hand-made blankets of various types, but only one thing I'd consider using to wipe up spit-up. Speaking of which, we have a few burp cloths, but not many. I did get two of the swaddle blanket thingies with velcro, where it doesn't actually become a blanket, just a swaddler. However, one of the ladies from church is actually throwing me another shower on August 4th, just for people from my new congregation. She was actually the second person to ask me about it Sunday - the first person said she really wanted to throw one for me, but when she found out my exact due date, said she was going to be out of town most of the time between now and then. I'm still just really surprised by it. I'm happy, of course, and it's super nice for someone to do it for me, it just seems a little out of nowhere, since we've been going to this congregation for 2 months now. Anyway, I am hopeful that I will get some receiving blankets and burp cloths out of this shower. A bunch of people have already RSVP'd that they're coming, and the evite just went out Sunday night! I actually went back through my registries and added stuff and updated some stuff just for people to have something to buy. Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff I still need (like cloth diapering stuff) is not readily available at major stores. But anyway, it should be interesting. Hopefully this will help me get to know some more people, too.

The bad thing that happened last week is that dh's car overheated on his way home from Dallas, and now needs a new engine. Luckily, my dad and brothers were able to come to the rescue and tow him home (he was over 100 miles away when it happened), saving us the $400+ of hiring a professional tow truck. But we're still trying to figure out how the heck to pay for repairs, or if we even should repair it - we just bought it in January, it's a 2008 with low miles, but because it's a salvage title, it has no warranty - and apparently, they might not warranty any new parts they put in, either, which leaves us in a bad place. But we can't afford a dependable car without a loan, and we really, really don't want a car loan. We can't afford to buy something that's just going to break down, either, though. So we shall see. The good news is that, besides the money already paid, we should only owe the mw $300 more after the birth, so we should be able to use some of our medical/baby savings on the car. We'll find out in the next week or so if our in-network appeal is granted, in which case the birth center will ultimately end up owing us a small refund. That would be awesome!

Monkey (31) + Pirate (28) = a forever family (5/10) - Baby Bird To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (8/12), our long-awaited first, one To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (9/13 @ 7w 6d), and Baby Yummy To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (10/6/14)

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Tubing was great - we didn't go down a river after all. Went to Landa Park and I essentially floated around half in my tube, letting my belly dangle in the water. I joked it was inception, with my kid floating in fluid with me floating in fluid. That water felt GREAT. I even climbed up a rope and went a couple grips across a net strung over the water - something that very few people were able to do! I had on my superwoman He-Man arms, or something, that day. Let me see if I can get a pic of my husband and I to show up on here...as well as myself in my tube (with the rope thingy in the background somewhere). Wow, I look so small in these. I was about 20 weeks. I've really gotten HUGE since.

Mom to 3 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., 1 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts., 10 hermit crabs, and a 156g stock tank pond with goldfish and lilypads!
IUI#4 success! Welcome Guy V 11/14/12

YES!! Just checked my chart online and found out I am GBS negative!! (If you don't know why I'm so excited, refer to past posts about how incredibly difficult blood draws are for me - I can't even imagine trying to get an IV while simultaneously dealing with contractions!)

Monkey (31) + Pirate (28) = a forever family (5/10) - Baby Bird To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (8/12), our long-awaited first, one To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (9/13 @ 7w 6d), and Baby Yummy To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (10/6/14)

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